Raise the Hammer

This is What a Real Developer Does

This is what a real developer does: comes up with a plan, secures financing, tests the market through pre-sales, gets all of the permits and variances in order, arranges contractors, and then finally prepares the building site (including demolition if necessary).

Work starting at corner of Walnut and Young

Ground is broken on The Corktowns, a new building at the northeast Corner of Young and Walnut Streets. They demolished the old building, a one-story house converted into a convenience store, to build a row of seven three-storey townhomes with parking in back.

Rendering of The Corktowns

It's good intensification created by good business. I'm happy they proved my early pessimism wrong.

They were functioning and tenanted. Out of the blue, the owners floated a preliminary sketch of an idea they had for development. Then they emptied the buildings and took the storefronts off. Now the buildings generate zero revenue, contribute nothing to the street, and the owners claim that they can't afford to keep them anymore - because they are empty.

Those tenants should not have been given notice until WB had financing, permits, variances, pre-sales, contractors, etc. lined up.

By Downtown Lover (anonymous) | Posted August 16, 2013 at 13:43:59
in reply to Comment 90975

You are 100% correct.

It's silliness like this, and the complicity (or lack of action) on the part of our elected officials in City Hall & Queen's Park that could lead to us losing these cultural and historical symbols in our downtown core.

Lets not allow our downtown suffer the same fate as that of Brantford. WB has no plans for these buildings, except to knock them down, only because it would be cheaper to do so now, then at a later date. At best, they (WB) have expressed the desire for a large grocery or retail store ("like Target"). Hamiltonians, can now look forward to either an empty lot in Gore Park at worst, or a Target store at best. City Council is, indeed asleep at the wheel on this one.

If this project moves forward, and we lose those beautiful (and, until recently, commercially occupied) buildings, I propose a fundraising campaign to lay a plaque in Gore Park, listing the names of City Council as the members who sat on their hands while while Gore Park was lost. We publicly commemorate those who help build the downtown, so lets also publicly shame those who let downtown die.

When I spoke with the developer last year, he said that he initially wanted front parking but the city requested he move the buildings toward the street and put parking behind. I don't think they released any follow-up site plans or renderings though. I guess we'll find out soon enough in real-life what they will look like... I'm hoping this sort of development catches on. A bit of extra density without blockbusting!